Victims' statements highlight suffering in Solebury murder case

Wednesday

Anger, sadness and sorrow boil over in statements from victims at sentencing for Cosmo DiNardo.

To the world, they were Bucks County's four missing boys. To their friends, families and loved ones, they were much more.

One by one, some of those they left behind walked to front of the packed courtroom Wednesday. Twelve spoke, with others submitting written statements seen only by the judge.

Some seemed to twist their features, attempting to hold back tears or rage.

The anger inside Mark Potash, the father of Mark Sturgis, was delivered with precision.

Potash hurled a carefully crafted diatribe at DiNardo, who he said fabricated a tough-guy image on social media “like a complete fool” prior to the killings and committed the crimes as part of a “sick fantasy.”

“You did it simply because you could,” he said.

DiNardo, 21, of Bensalem, entered a guilty plea Wednesday morning, admitting to the July 5 slaying of 19-year-old Jimi Taro Patrick, of Newtown, as well as the July 7 killings of Dean Finnochiaro, 19, of Middletown, Thomas Meo, 21, of Plumstead, and Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg.

Prosecutors accused him of luring the men to the farm, telling them he would sell them marijuana, and instead robbing and killing the men before maiming, burning and burying their bodies.

DiNardo took the plea deal for “selfish reasons” to prevent evidence that could be used in future proceedings from emerging, said Potash.

The rage in others gushed out at unexpected moments.

Tom Meo’s mother Melissa Fratanduono-Meo spent several minutes fondly describing her son’s unique sense of humor and “infectious” laugh. But the anecdotes suddenly stopped and her tone sharpened as she looked over at DiNardo sitting to her right. Several expletives followed for which she quickly apologized to President Judge Jeffrey L. Finley.

Anthony Finocchiaro, Dean’s father, said he has been left as “half the man” he was before the killings.

Not a day goes by that Dean’s mother, Bonnie Finocchiaro, doesn’t find herself crying, she said.

Sturgis’s mother Aimee King said her son was brimming with potential and now leaves behind unfinished dreams.

“I’ve been living on autopilot,” King said. “My smiles are empty.”

Jimi Taro Patrick’s grandparents, Sharon and Richard Patrick, had raised the boy as their son since his birth. It was expected that he would assume the role as caretaker of his mother, who suffers from mental illness.

“He meant more to us than you will ever be able to understand,” Sharon said.

Richard still feels “waves of grief” when he catches glimpses of Jimi’s fishing rod or his baseball gear.

He now receives counseling and takes medication. Sleeping or socializing, he said, do not come easy anymore.

Throughout it all, DiNardo sat still until it was his turn to speak.

He offered a brief apology, which the judge would later describe as false and insincere.

Finley said he recently reviewed the audio recording of DiNardo’s confession during which he said the 21-year-old man displayed “a total lack of humanity.”

“The tone of your voice stood out as such a total and complete disregard of the value of human life,” the judge told DiNardo just before sending him to state prison for four consecutive lifetimes.

The slain mens' families will continue their pursuit of justice both in civil court, where they are suing DiNardo's parents and their businesses, and in their continued backing of the District Attorney's Office in co-defendant Sean Kratz's pending trial, said their civil attorneys.

Kratz rejected a plea deal in the case Wednesday. Before the hearing Wednesday, he was expected to take the deal, eliminating the need for any trial in the case that grabbed international headlines with its brutal details, which could now play out before a county jury.

“The families ... while grieving, have satisfaction in knowing that Cosmo DiNardo will be spending his life in jail for the mayhem and murder which he perpetrated on three innocent young men, and, by extension, upon their families," attorneys Tom Kline, Robert Mongeluzzi and Carin O'Donnell said in a statement. "He will be punished for his cowardly behavior, which is necessary retribution for the evil that he committed. The families remain resolute in supporting the prosecution of DiNardo’s accomplice Sean Kratz, and will not rest until he is brought to justice.”

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Advertise

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Bucks County Courier Times ~ 8400 N. Bristol Pk, Levittown, PA 19057 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service